Applied Maths

At Sandford Park School, we are delighted to be able to offer students a full two-year programme in Leaving Certificate Applied Mathematics during Forms V and VI. Applied Maths is a subject which examines the area of Mechanics, a topic from the broader subject of Physics. It then analyses these physical systems in great mathematical detail.

This syllabus allows students to develop their problem-solving skills to a greater extent then in either Mathematics or Physics. It requires them to first use both intuitive and cognitive abilities to complete a physical analysis of the given system, and then to use mathematical skill, strategy and insight to process the information gathered, in order to reach the desired solution.

Students of Leaving Certificate Physics enjoy an enormous benefit from studying Applied Maths, in that they cover the entire Mechanics section of that course in great detail and thus find it quite straightforward in Physics. Also, higher level Mathematics is considered perhaps the most difficult of all subjects at Leaving Certificate. The extra classroom hours spent daily in Applied Maths using the skills learnt in areas like algebra, trigonometry, geometry, vectors and calculus are invaluable to a higher level maths student.

For students with both an interest in and an aptitude for Mathematics and Science, Applied Maths often proves to be their favourite subject. It also provides for excellent development of the strategic and computational skills not only necessary for further education in Science and Engineering, but also for Business and Commerce. In recent years, leaders in industry and academia have highlighted these abilities as being of the utmost importance in the modern global economy and have stated that it is an area of education where most young Irish people are currently below standard.